Bob Brown, Hall of Fame Offensive Lineman, Dies at 81
Known by his opponents as “Boomer,” Brown carved out his legacy as one of the greatest lineman to ever step foot on the gridiron.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the loss of legendary offensive lineman Bob Brown on Saturday following health complications stemming from a recent stroke.
Brown, a Hall of Fame inductee as both an NFL and college player, died Friday at the age of 81 in a rehabilitation center in Oakland, Calif., where he had been admitted since April, according to a statement from his wife Cecilia.
A six-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro, Brown, known by his foes as “Boomer,” earned a spot amongst the gridiron’s most tenacious players over the course of his standout collegiate career at Nebraska and 10 NFL seasons.
The imposing 6-foot-5, 260-pounder shined with the Cornhuskers as a lineman and linebacker en route to earning unanimous All-American honors in 1963. A year later, Brown faced a tough call when deciding to go pro after being selected second overall by the NFL’s Eagles, and fourth overall by the AFL’s Broncos in the teams’ respective league drafts.
Ultimately, Brown chose the NFL, where he went on to forge an impressive career, playing five years with the Eagles, two years for the Rams and three years with the Oakland Raiders. In his first season with the Raiders in 1971, Brown became a member of an all-time line that included four other future Hall of Famers in guard Gene Upshaw, center Jim Otto and tackles Art Shell and Ron Mix.
Brown, who also earned four second-team All-Pro nods, retired from football due to knee issues in 1973, walking away with a reputation as one of the greatest linemen of the 1960s and 70s.
In 1993, Brown—a member of the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade team—was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Nebraska retired Brown’s No. 64 jersey in 2004, the same year he was welcomed into the hallowed Halls of Canton, Ohio after being presented for induction by his son, Robert Jr.
On Saturday, Hall of Fame President Jim Porter praised Brown’s toughness and legacy, calling him “as fierce an opponent as any defensive linemen or linebacker ever faced.”
“Bob Brown demonstrated different personalities on and off the field,” Porter said. “On the field, he was as fierce an opponent as any defensive linemen or linebacker ever faced. He used every tactic and technique—and sometimes brute force—to crush the will of the person across the line from him. And took great pride in doing so.
“Yet off the field, he demonstrated a quiet, soft-spoken and caring nature that his son, Robert Jr., captured eloquently when he presented his dad for enshrinement in 2004. The Hall extends its thoughts and prayers to CeCe and Robert Jr. for their loss.”